China Open Beijing: WTA Tournament Guide

The China Open Beijing is one of the biggest stops on the WTA calendar and a defining tournament of the Asian Swing. Played on outdoor hard courts at the China National Tennis Center, the WTA 1000 event brings many of the world’s leading players to the Chinese capital during the decisive final stretch of the season.

With a 96-player singles draw, 32 doubles teams and 1,000 ranking points available to the singles champion, Beijing can have major consequences for rankings and the Race to the WTA Finals.

Tennis Roundup uses this page as its permanent guide to the China Open in Beijing, with links to our coverage of each edition as the tournament returns.

China Open Beijing at a Glance

The China Open women’s competition began in 2004 and has been staged at the China National Tennis Center since 2009. The tournament was not held from 2020 through 2022 before returning to the WTA calendar. 

Why the China Open Beijing Matters

Beijing arrives when the WTA season is running out of room for mistakes.

By this stage of the year, ranking battles have developed across the tour and the Race to the WTA Finals is approaching its conclusion. A deep run at a WTA 1000 can therefore mean much more than another strong tournament result.

There are 1,000 ranking points available to the champion, while players throughout the draw have opportunities to gain significant points of their own.

Beijing also forms an important part of the closing Asian Swing. In 2026, for example, the China Open is the season’s second-to-last WTA 1000, immediately preceding the final WTA 1000 in Wuhan. 

That late-season position gives Tennis Roundup plenty to follow beyond the championship itself: players chasing qualification, defending ranking points, attempting to climb the rankings or trying to build momentum before the season reaches its final tournaments.

China National Tennis Center and Diamond Court

The China National Tennis Center has hosted the China Open since 2009.

Its showpiece arena is Diamond Court, a centre court with capacity for approximately 15,000 spectators. The venue provides the scale expected of one of the WTA Tour’s premier tournaments and has become closely associated with professional tennis in Beijing. 

The tournament is played on outdoor hard courts, placing it within the hard-court Asian Swing that shapes the closing stages of the WTA season.

China Open History

The women’s China Open was first staged in 2004.

Over the years, Beijing has developed from a relatively young tournament into one of the major events on the women’s calendar. The move to the China National Tennis Center in 2009 gave the tournament a long-term home capable of staging an event of its growing stature.

There was a three-year interruption from 2020 through 2022, before the tournament returned. 

Since then, Beijing has again become an important late-season destination for the WTA’s leading players.

China Open Champions and Legacy

Beijing’s champions list includes some of the most recognizable names in modern women’s tennis.

Among them is Serena Williams, while the tournament’s more recent champions include Naomi Osaka (2019), Iga Swiatek (2023), Coco Gauff (2024) and Amanda Anisimova (2025). 

That succession also gives each new edition an additional storyline: former champions can return trying to win Beijing again while another generation attempts to add its name to the tournament’s history.

China Open 2026

The 2026 China Open takes place from September 30 to October 11 at the China National Tennis Center.

The tournament features a 96-player singles field, with 32 seeded players receiving first-round byes, alongside a 32-team doubles competition. The singles champion receives 1,000 ranking points. China_Open_2026_ACE_Handoff

Amanda Anisimova returns to the tournament as defending champion after defeating Linda Noskova 6-0, 2-6, 6-2 in the 2025 final. 

→ Read: China Open 2026 — The Battle for Position Moves to Beijing

That article is our starting point for the current edition, including the field, defending champion, opening storylines and the late-season battles developing around Beijing.

Tennis Roundup China Open Coverage

Tennis Roundup follows the China Open as a developing tournament story rather than simply recording scores.

Each edition begins with the players and storylines arriving in Beijing. From there, our coverage follows which stories develop, which disappear and which unexpected narratives emerge once play begins.

2026 China Open

Tournament Introduction
China Open 2026 — The Battle for Position Moves to Beijing

Seedings
Coming soon

Draw
Coming soon

Daily Roundups
Coming soon

Final and Tournament Wrap-Up
Coming soon

Future editions of the China Open will be added here, keeping this page as Tennis Roundup’s permanent Beijing tournament archive.